Glass

The drinking glass was made in the glass factory in Urzecze or in Nalibaki in the second half of the 18th c. The glassworks in Nalibaki (1722-1862) and in Urzecze (1737-1846) were established by Princess Anna Radziwiłłowa of Sanguszki. They constituted the main centres of artistic glass-making in 18th-century Poland. The production of both glassworks, consisting mainly of glass tableware, was chiefly focused on the needs of the Radziwiłł family; the products were also distributed throughout the country. A variety of drinking glasses typical of the era were produced there: slender flutes, doublets (double chalices), the so-called 'kulawki' (without a foot), ones known as 'toasting glasses', as well as tumblers and large tumblers, decanters, sepet bottles, and small table bottles. Decorations of the products consisted of engraved plant and geometric motifs, coats of arms, monograms, figural depictions, and inscriptions. The vessels were also decoratively cut, for example, in a pattern of carp scales. The glassworks produced mainly colourless glass, sometimes coloured during manufacture. The above cup was made of thick glass with a light violet colour. It has a large, round foot with a curled edge, a heavy stem with a ring-shaped hump in the middle, and an onion-shaped bowl. The glass is decoratively cut in various ways: the upper part of the bowl is cut into the pattern of 'carp scales'; the lower part and the stem are decorated with an arcade cut. The ring of the stem is cut polygonally. From the bottom, the foot is cut in radially arranged oval facets. Barbara Trojnar